AHP 66: BENEATH THE SURFACE: SILENCE, STRENGTH, AND TIBETAN WOMANHOOD ༄༅།།འཛུམ་དཀར་འོག་གི་སྐྱོ་ཤས། ཨ་མདོའི་བོད་རིགས་བུད་མེད་ཀྱི་འཚོ་བ་དང་མྱོང་བ།
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| Format: | Recurso digital |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
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2025
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| author | Rdo rje dpal 'byor, རྡོ་རྗེ་དཔལ་འབྱོར། |
| author_facet | Rdo rje dpal 'byor, རྡོ་རྗེ་དཔལ་འབྱོར། |
| contents | <p><em><span lang="EN-US"> </span></em></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Tibetan women's voices are constrained in many aspects of life.<span> <em>B</em></span><em>eneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</em><span> by </span></span><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor </span><span lang="EN-US">offers an in-depth exploration of women's experiences, shedding light on topics often left unspoken, such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. This book breaks the silence surrounding these deeply personal aspects of Tibetan womanhood through intimate accounts. Bringing these hidden narratives to the forefront is a vital contribution to gender studies and Tibetan studies, enriching our understanding of the lived realities of Tibetan women. </span><span lang="EN-US">In addition, although Tibetan herders are often portrayed as "isolated" from the "modern" world, this book offers a fascinating account of ordinary Tibetan herders traveling internationally and interpreting what they see on their own terms. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Sanggay Tashi, Sangs rgyas bkra shis</span> <span lang="BO">སངས་རྒྱས་བཀྲ་ཤིས། </span><span lang="EN-US">Anthropology, </span><span lang="EN-US">University of Colorado Boulder</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">In vast, rugged landscapes where Tibetan communities continue to uphold age-old traditions, intimate aspects of daily life remain largely undocumented. </span><span><span lang="EN-US">Tibetan Women's Lives</span></span><span lang="EN-US"> offers a rare and deeply personal exploration of the experiences of Tibetan women from the 1970s to the present, focusing on fundamental yet often overlooked aspects of their lives – menstruation, childbirth, and menopause. Rich first-hand narratives unveil how women in these remote communities navigate menstrual hygiene, cultural beliefs, and social perceptions surrounding natural bodily processes. Weaving together individual testimonies and everyday life narratives, this book goes beyond to reveal broader realities of these women's existence - their struggles, resilience, and intricate balance between tradition and modernity. This book sheds light on Tibetan women's unique challenges, providing an insightful window into hidden worlds and a profound understanding of their lived experiences. This book is essential for those interested in gender studies, Tibetan culture, anthropology, and the intersection of tradition and change in one of the world's most isolated regions. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Huadan Zhaxi, Dpal ldan bkra shis </span><span lang="BO">དཔལ་ལྡན་བཀྲ་ཤིས། </span><span lang="EN-US">Humbolt-Universität zu Berlin</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor's </span><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface </span></em><span lang="EN-US">is a rich tapestry of culture, tradition, and womanhood in an intimate exploration of life in Bon skor Tibetan Community in Qinghai Province. Interviews, personal reflections, and vivid storytelling unveil deeply rooted cultural practices and evolving dynamics surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, menstruation, and menopause in a rural Tibetan area, ranging from sacred traditional Buddhist rituals to women's silent struggles with childbirth, menstruation, and the largely uncharted field of menopause. A chapter of the author's heartfelt homage to her grandmother's life, reflection on ornaments, and sense of heritage is also included. Importantly, challenges of marital conflict and women's health are depicted, weaving together personal and communal stories. Tibetan women's voices and hidden stories of Tibetan womanhood come alive, offering profound insights into their experiences. A vibrant travelogue documenting a trip across Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, enriched by local elders' perspectives as they encounter new cultures and cuisines, is included, as are evocative photo essays of religious activities, reciprocal labor relationships, and the communal spirit of bread-making, dumpling preparation, and wedding ceremonies, further complement the book. This poignant celebration of Tibetan women's resilience, strength, and evolving roles in a rapidly changing world offers readers a rare glimpse into the heart of Tibetan womanhood and tradition. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">D</span><span lang="EN-US">bang </span><span lang="EN-US">'</span><span lang="EN-US">dus sgrol ma </span><span lang="BO">དབང་འདུས་སྒྲོལ་མ།</span><span lang="BO"> </span><span lang="EN-US">(Wendezhuoma</span><span lang="ZH-CN">文德卓玛</span><span lang="EN-US">)</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span><span lang="EN-US">Amdo agro-pastoral community, childbirth, menstruation, menopause, a local elder's reflection on ornaments and life, a group of locals' (including the author) twelve-day travel in Southeast Asia, a short story exploring challenges local women face, a richly illustrated presentation of local religious life, and local bread-making and food displays. Women's </span></span><span lang="EN-US">views on life, family, and what it means to live, highlighting their authentic strengths, fears, struggles, and optimism when facing hardships and pain, provide intimate details of rural Tibetan women sharing their life experiences. </span><em><span lang="EN-US">B</span></em><span><em><span lang="EN-US">eneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em></span> <span><span lang="EN-US">is h</span></span><span lang="EN-US">ig</span><span lang="EN-US">hly recommended. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Wande Tsering, Ban de tshe ring </span><span lang="BO">བན་དེ་ཚེ་རིང་། </span><span lang="EN-US">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</span></p> <p><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> is Rdo rje dpal 'byor's compelling exploration of Tibetan women's lives in the author's home village, Bon skor (Wangshenke), in Mtsho lo (Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, PR China. Combining evocative visuals with insightful storytelling, the book offers a rare glimpse into Tibetan womanhood through forty photographs, maps, and thoughtful reflections and research. </span><span lang="EN-US">Organized across ten chapters, the book begins with a personal introduction from the author, providing a brief background of her village and an overview of the work. The narrative then unfolds through three in-depth research papers examining the reproductive health of village Tibetan women, exploring their beliefs and practices surrounding childbirth, menstruation, and menopause. </span><span lang="EN-US">In addition to the research, the book includes reflections on the author's paternal grandmother, an account of her family's travel to Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, a story of her personal experiences, and two photo essays further complementing Tibetan womanhood, vividly and visually illustrating themes such as marital conflicts, health issues, religious practices, and the role of women in such village rituals as food preparation for special events, including New Year's celebrations and weddings. These authentic accounts capture the complexities of Tibetan women's lives in the village, highlighting tensions between tradition and modernity, gender roles, and challenges women face in navigating local religious, cultural, and economic pressures. </span><span lang="EN-US">Alongside the research and personal narratives, the book features references, appendices with interview questions about menopause, weblinks to original images used throughout the book, and lists of non-English terms in Tibetan and Chinese. Through its combination of in-depth research, vivid life stories, and striking photographs, <em>Beneath the Surface</em> offers a nuanced portrayal of Tibetan women's lives, struggles, and triumphs while providing insight into broader dilemmas such as the contrast between men and women, tradition and modernity, and home and abroad. This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Tibetan life focused on Tibetan womanhood in Qinghai, PR China. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">-Tshe dbang rdo rje </span><span lang="BO">ཚེ་དབང་རྡོ་རྗེ།</span> <span lang="EN-US">(Caixiangduojie </span><span lang="ZH-CN">才项多杰</span><span lang="EN-US">), </span><span lang="EN-US">Qinghai Normal University </span><span lang="ZH-CN">青海师范大学</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor's</span><span lang="EN-US"> <em>Beneath the Surface</em> illuminates intimate experiences of Tibetan women in rural Bon skor Community, offering unprecedented insights into their experiences with childbirth, menstruation, and menopause. The author unveils previously undocumented narratives capturing rural Tibetan women's unique challenges and remarkable resilience through ethnographic research and sensitive storytelling. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and personal accounts, the book weaves individual stories and broader cultural analysis, challenging the conventional understanding of women's lives in traditional Tibetan society. This study contributes to gender studies, Tibetan anthropology, and our knowledge of women's experiences in indigenous communities. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Lugyal Bum </span><span lang="EN-US">(Klu gryal 'bum </span><span lang="BO">ཀླུ་རྒྱལ་འབུམ།</span><span lang="EN-US">)</span><span lang="EN-US"> Northwestern University </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor offers a rich tapestry of Tibetan life through vivid stories and insightful observations. From childbirth, menstruation, and menopause to the rhythms of religious practice and the artistry of bread-making, the book delves into the intimate and often unseen aspects of women's experiences in rural Tibetan communities. Readers are taken on a surprising journey as Amdo Tibetan herders venture abroad to Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, encountering new worlds far from the high Plateau, and a compelling short story reflects the dilemmas Tibetan women face. </span><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em> <span lang="EN-US">illuminates tradition's enduring strength amid the currents of change. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Nyinggar Gyal, Snying dkar rgyal</span> <span lang="BO">སྙིང་དཀར་རྒྱལ། </span><span lang="EN-US">Qinghai Minzu University</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor</span><span lang="EN-US">'s extraordinary volume is a meandering river guiding us through the life journey of Tibetan women. Confronting the harsh reality of childbirth, this journey is marked by harshness rather than tenderness. Menstrual struggles include the silent humiliation of blood soaking into Tibetan robes, to fleeting relief of sanitary pads, only to face the awkwardness of wearing them without underwear. Scenes unfold like heavy scrolls, wordlessly testifying to urgent physical health challenges. </span><span lang="EN-US">Another pain is the invisibility of menopause - a transformative life stage often shrouded in neglect and ignorance, an ignored corner in their world. </span><span lang="EN-US">Shockingly, some women first set foot in county towns in their thirties, an experience </span><span lang="EN-US">that spans geography and kindles</span><span lang="EN-US"> a spiritual and cognitive awakening. </span><span lang="EN-US">Modernity's tumultuous tides pierce through millennia of shadow, offering unprecedented physical and mental liberation. Even those who never entered a school now fly to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, broadening horizons and awakening long-cloistered minds. </span><span lang="EN-US">Beneath this glitter lies profound cultural fission and identity struggle. As they engage with the outside world, they realize their familiar cultural soil is shifting, with once-immovable traditions now appearing fragile from external exposure. Their culture, they mourn, resembles an aging elder, small and vulnerable in the roaring current of modernization, a star on the verge of being forgotten. </span><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em> <span lang="EN-US">is more than a compassionate gaze into Tibetan women's physical and health plight; it is a searing reflection on struggle, awakening, and oblivion. It reveals how, amid epochal changes, unsung lives navigate contradictions and chart complex, heartrending maps of the soul while tenuously clinging to tradition and yielding to foreign allure. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Rigdrol Jikar, Rig grol </span><span lang="BO">རིག་གྲོལ།</span> <span lang="EN-US">(Rou Zhou </span><span lang="ZH-CN">肉卓</span><span lang="EN-US">). </span><span lang="EN-US">Qinghai Normal University</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">The daily lives of ordinary women in a rural Tibetan area on the Tibetan Plateau are vividly documented through direct personal accounts. Menstruation, childbirth, and menopause are explored via experiences of those who endured harsh times when trousers and underwear were scarce or unavailable, let alone modern feminine hygiene products. Cultural and religious influences on these physical phenomena offer unique ethnographic insights. Socio-economic development has enhanced people's living standards, including women's social status and their knowledge of personal hygiene, and has brought about cultural changes in lifestyle. In chronicling her experience of an international tour with a group of mostly elderly Tibetans, who had rarely ever left their rural hometowns, the author allows readers to sense the successive shocks they experienced, such as encountering seafood, crocodile meat, and transgender performance. Based on real-life personal accounts supported by numerous photos, the author presents a comprehensive view of a community in transition. This is a valuable contribution for readers interested in Tibetan culture and lifestyle. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Kelsang Norbu, Gesang Norbu, Skal bzang nor bu </span><span lang="BO">སྐལ་བཟང་ནོར་བུ།</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> <p><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> offers deeply personal narratives in a compelling exploration of the lives of Tibetan women spanning three generations in rural Bon skor Community, delving into the realities of childbirth, menstruation, and silent struggles endured by women within a society shaped by poverty, tradition, and entrenched misogyny. </span><span lang="EN-US">As modernization and compulsory education reshape Tibetan womanhood, the stark contrast between home births and hospital deliveries and traditional menstrual and modern hygienic practices testify to the power of progress. Yet, for some, like A sgrol, whose tragic life epitomizes suffering and resistance, the weight of tradition remains unyielding. Her story, though extreme, serves as a powerful symbol of the silent resilience of women on the Tibetan Plateau. </span><span lang="EN-US">Beyond struggles of womanhood, </span><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor's </span><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> offers a rich tapestry of village life, documenting religious rituals, culinary traditions, and the transformative experience of international travel. From Qinghai's gray winters to Thailand's lush summers, the cultural shock of rural Tibetans encountering modern metropolises like Bangkok and Singapore is captured, revealing a journey resembling time travel between two worlds. </span><span lang="EN-US">Vivid illustrations and photographs further enhance this poignant, eye-opening account of change, endurance, and the evolving identity of Tibetan women in a rapidly shifting world. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Gengqiu Gelai, Konchok Gelek, </span><span lang="EN-US">Dkon mchog dge legs </span><span lang="BO">དཀོན་མཆོག་དགེ་ལེགས།</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor, a </span><span lang="EN-US">Tibetan scholar from Guinan County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China, has lifted a veil to the world by revealing personal experiences of local Tibetan women's menstruation, menstrual cramps, childbirth, and menopause before 2000. These women believed menstruation was a shameful, insulting thing. Tibetan women weren't allowed to go to monasteries, family shrines, and mountaintops to worship <em>lab rtse</em> during menstruation because </span><span lang="EN-US">t</span><span lang="EN-US">hey considered it polluting and feared angering Buddhas and deities, which might bring disaster. In that era, the lack of sanitary pads and underwear compared with women today caused inconvenience and pain during menstrual periods. </span><span lang="EN-US">The author also describes several local Tibetan herders' experiences touring Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. They set out from an icy Qinghai-Tibet Plateau winter and arrived where seasons were like spring, oceans were boundless, tall buildings lined the cities, and people of various skin colors spoke diverse languages and ate different food. They better understood foreign cultures fundamentally different from their home community, a starting point in hoping more Tibetan herders will experience global travel. </span><span lang="EN-US">The author's major project is about the lives of Tibetan women, especially their menstrual culture, which has rarely been written about or published by Tibetan women. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Limusishiden (Li Dechun</span><span lang="ZH-CN">李得春</span><span lang="EN-US">)</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_15479976 |
| institution | Zenodo |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
| record_format | zenodo |
| spellingShingle | AHP 66: BENEATH THE SURFACE: SILENCE, STRENGTH, AND TIBETAN WOMANHOOD ༄༅།།འཛུམ་དཀར་འོག་གི་སྐྱོ་ཤས། ཨ་མདོའི་བོད་རིགས་བུད་མེད་ཀྱི་འཚོ་བ་དང་མྱོང་བ། Rdo rje dpal 'byor, རྡོ་རྗེ་དཔལ་འབྱོར། rural Tibetan women, Tibetan mensturation childbirth, Tibetan menopause, Tibetan short stories, Amdo Tibetan women, rural Amdo women, Amdo Tibetan ritual, Tibetan religious life. <p><em><span lang="EN-US"> </span></em></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Tibetan women's voices are constrained in many aspects of life.<span> <em>B</em></span><em>eneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</em><span> by </span></span><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor </span><span lang="EN-US">offers an in-depth exploration of women's experiences, shedding light on topics often left unspoken, such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. This book breaks the silence surrounding these deeply personal aspects of Tibetan womanhood through intimate accounts. Bringing these hidden narratives to the forefront is a vital contribution to gender studies and Tibetan studies, enriching our understanding of the lived realities of Tibetan women. </span><span lang="EN-US">In addition, although Tibetan herders are often portrayed as "isolated" from the "modern" world, this book offers a fascinating account of ordinary Tibetan herders traveling internationally and interpreting what they see on their own terms. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Sanggay Tashi, Sangs rgyas bkra shis</span> <span lang="BO">སངས་རྒྱས་བཀྲ་ཤིས། </span><span lang="EN-US">Anthropology, </span><span lang="EN-US">University of Colorado Boulder</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">In vast, rugged landscapes where Tibetan communities continue to uphold age-old traditions, intimate aspects of daily life remain largely undocumented. </span><span><span lang="EN-US">Tibetan Women's Lives</span></span><span lang="EN-US"> offers a rare and deeply personal exploration of the experiences of Tibetan women from the 1970s to the present, focusing on fundamental yet often overlooked aspects of their lives – menstruation, childbirth, and menopause. Rich first-hand narratives unveil how women in these remote communities navigate menstrual hygiene, cultural beliefs, and social perceptions surrounding natural bodily processes. Weaving together individual testimonies and everyday life narratives, this book goes beyond to reveal broader realities of these women's existence - their struggles, resilience, and intricate balance between tradition and modernity. This book sheds light on Tibetan women's unique challenges, providing an insightful window into hidden worlds and a profound understanding of their lived experiences. This book is essential for those interested in gender studies, Tibetan culture, anthropology, and the intersection of tradition and change in one of the world's most isolated regions. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Huadan Zhaxi, Dpal ldan bkra shis </span><span lang="BO">དཔལ་ལྡན་བཀྲ་ཤིས། </span><span lang="EN-US">Humbolt-Universität zu Berlin</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor's </span><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface </span></em><span lang="EN-US">is a rich tapestry of culture, tradition, and womanhood in an intimate exploration of life in Bon skor Tibetan Community in Qinghai Province. Interviews, personal reflections, and vivid storytelling unveil deeply rooted cultural practices and evolving dynamics surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, menstruation, and menopause in a rural Tibetan area, ranging from sacred traditional Buddhist rituals to women's silent struggles with childbirth, menstruation, and the largely uncharted field of menopause. A chapter of the author's heartfelt homage to her grandmother's life, reflection on ornaments, and sense of heritage is also included. Importantly, challenges of marital conflict and women's health are depicted, weaving together personal and communal stories. Tibetan women's voices and hidden stories of Tibetan womanhood come alive, offering profound insights into their experiences. A vibrant travelogue documenting a trip across Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, enriched by local elders' perspectives as they encounter new cultures and cuisines, is included, as are evocative photo essays of religious activities, reciprocal labor relationships, and the communal spirit of bread-making, dumpling preparation, and wedding ceremonies, further complement the book. This poignant celebration of Tibetan women's resilience, strength, and evolving roles in a rapidly changing world offers readers a rare glimpse into the heart of Tibetan womanhood and tradition. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">D</span><span lang="EN-US">bang </span><span lang="EN-US">'</span><span lang="EN-US">dus sgrol ma </span><span lang="BO">དབང་འདུས་སྒྲོལ་མ།</span><span lang="BO"> </span><span lang="EN-US">(Wendezhuoma</span><span lang="ZH-CN">文德卓玛</span><span lang="EN-US">)</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span><span lang="EN-US">Amdo agro-pastoral community, childbirth, menstruation, menopause, a local elder's reflection on ornaments and life, a group of locals' (including the author) twelve-day travel in Southeast Asia, a short story exploring challenges local women face, a richly illustrated presentation of local religious life, and local bread-making and food displays. Women's </span></span><span lang="EN-US">views on life, family, and what it means to live, highlighting their authentic strengths, fears, struggles, and optimism when facing hardships and pain, provide intimate details of rural Tibetan women sharing their life experiences. </span><em><span lang="EN-US">B</span></em><span><em><span lang="EN-US">eneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em></span> <span><span lang="EN-US">is h</span></span><span lang="EN-US">ig</span><span lang="EN-US">hly recommended. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Wande Tsering, Ban de tshe ring </span><span lang="BO">བན་དེ་ཚེ་རིང་། </span><span lang="EN-US">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</span></p> <p><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> is Rdo rje dpal 'byor's compelling exploration of Tibetan women's lives in the author's home village, Bon skor (Wangshenke), in Mtsho lo (Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, PR China. Combining evocative visuals with insightful storytelling, the book offers a rare glimpse into Tibetan womanhood through forty photographs, maps, and thoughtful reflections and research. </span><span lang="EN-US">Organized across ten chapters, the book begins with a personal introduction from the author, providing a brief background of her village and an overview of the work. The narrative then unfolds through three in-depth research papers examining the reproductive health of village Tibetan women, exploring their beliefs and practices surrounding childbirth, menstruation, and menopause. </span><span lang="EN-US">In addition to the research, the book includes reflections on the author's paternal grandmother, an account of her family's travel to Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, a story of her personal experiences, and two photo essays further complementing Tibetan womanhood, vividly and visually illustrating themes such as marital conflicts, health issues, religious practices, and the role of women in such village rituals as food preparation for special events, including New Year's celebrations and weddings. These authentic accounts capture the complexities of Tibetan women's lives in the village, highlighting tensions between tradition and modernity, gender roles, and challenges women face in navigating local religious, cultural, and economic pressures. </span><span lang="EN-US">Alongside the research and personal narratives, the book features references, appendices with interview questions about menopause, weblinks to original images used throughout the book, and lists of non-English terms in Tibetan and Chinese. Through its combination of in-depth research, vivid life stories, and striking photographs, <em>Beneath the Surface</em> offers a nuanced portrayal of Tibetan women's lives, struggles, and triumphs while providing insight into broader dilemmas such as the contrast between men and women, tradition and modernity, and home and abroad. This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Tibetan life focused on Tibetan womanhood in Qinghai, PR China. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">-Tshe dbang rdo rje </span><span lang="BO">ཚེ་དབང་རྡོ་རྗེ།</span> <span lang="EN-US">(Caixiangduojie </span><span lang="ZH-CN">才项多杰</span><span lang="EN-US">), </span><span lang="EN-US">Qinghai Normal University </span><span lang="ZH-CN">青海师范大学</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor's</span><span lang="EN-US"> <em>Beneath the Surface</em> illuminates intimate experiences of Tibetan women in rural Bon skor Community, offering unprecedented insights into their experiences with childbirth, menstruation, and menopause. The author unveils previously undocumented narratives capturing rural Tibetan women's unique challenges and remarkable resilience through ethnographic research and sensitive storytelling. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and personal accounts, the book weaves individual stories and broader cultural analysis, challenging the conventional understanding of women's lives in traditional Tibetan society. This study contributes to gender studies, Tibetan anthropology, and our knowledge of women's experiences in indigenous communities. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Lugyal Bum </span><span lang="EN-US">(Klu gryal 'bum </span><span lang="BO">ཀླུ་རྒྱལ་འབུམ།</span><span lang="EN-US">)</span><span lang="EN-US"> Northwestern University </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor offers a rich tapestry of Tibetan life through vivid stories and insightful observations. From childbirth, menstruation, and menopause to the rhythms of religious practice and the artistry of bread-making, the book delves into the intimate and often unseen aspects of women's experiences in rural Tibetan communities. Readers are taken on a surprising journey as Amdo Tibetan herders venture abroad to Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, encountering new worlds far from the high Plateau, and a compelling short story reflects the dilemmas Tibetan women face. </span><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em> <span lang="EN-US">illuminates tradition's enduring strength amid the currents of change. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Nyinggar Gyal, Snying dkar rgyal</span> <span lang="BO">སྙིང་དཀར་རྒྱལ། </span><span lang="EN-US">Qinghai Minzu University</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor</span><span lang="EN-US">'s extraordinary volume is a meandering river guiding us through the life journey of Tibetan women. Confronting the harsh reality of childbirth, this journey is marked by harshness rather than tenderness. Menstrual struggles include the silent humiliation of blood soaking into Tibetan robes, to fleeting relief of sanitary pads, only to face the awkwardness of wearing them without underwear. Scenes unfold like heavy scrolls, wordlessly testifying to urgent physical health challenges. </span><span lang="EN-US">Another pain is the invisibility of menopause - a transformative life stage often shrouded in neglect and ignorance, an ignored corner in their world. </span><span lang="EN-US">Shockingly, some women first set foot in county towns in their thirties, an experience </span><span lang="EN-US">that spans geography and kindles</span><span lang="EN-US"> a spiritual and cognitive awakening. </span><span lang="EN-US">Modernity's tumultuous tides pierce through millennia of shadow, offering unprecedented physical and mental liberation. Even those who never entered a school now fly to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, broadening horizons and awakening long-cloistered minds. </span><span lang="EN-US">Beneath this glitter lies profound cultural fission and identity struggle. As they engage with the outside world, they realize their familiar cultural soil is shifting, with once-immovable traditions now appearing fragile from external exposure. Their culture, they mourn, resembles an aging elder, small and vulnerable in the roaring current of modernization, a star on the verge of being forgotten. </span><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em> <span lang="EN-US">is more than a compassionate gaze into Tibetan women's physical and health plight; it is a searing reflection on struggle, awakening, and oblivion. It reveals how, amid epochal changes, unsung lives navigate contradictions and chart complex, heartrending maps of the soul while tenuously clinging to tradition and yielding to foreign allure. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Rigdrol Jikar, Rig grol </span><span lang="BO">རིག་གྲོལ།</span> <span lang="EN-US">(Rou Zhou </span><span lang="ZH-CN">肉卓</span><span lang="EN-US">). </span><span lang="EN-US">Qinghai Normal University</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">The daily lives of ordinary women in a rural Tibetan area on the Tibetan Plateau are vividly documented through direct personal accounts. Menstruation, childbirth, and menopause are explored via experiences of those who endured harsh times when trousers and underwear were scarce or unavailable, let alone modern feminine hygiene products. Cultural and religious influences on these physical phenomena offer unique ethnographic insights. Socio-economic development has enhanced people's living standards, including women's social status and their knowledge of personal hygiene, and has brought about cultural changes in lifestyle. In chronicling her experience of an international tour with a group of mostly elderly Tibetans, who had rarely ever left their rural hometowns, the author allows readers to sense the successive shocks they experienced, such as encountering seafood, crocodile meat, and transgender performance. Based on real-life personal accounts supported by numerous photos, the author presents a comprehensive view of a community in transition. This is a valuable contribution for readers interested in Tibetan culture and lifestyle. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Kelsang Norbu, Gesang Norbu, Skal bzang nor bu </span><span lang="BO">སྐལ་བཟང་ནོར་བུ།</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> <p><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface: Silence, Strength, and Tibetan Womanhood</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> offers deeply personal narratives in a compelling exploration of the lives of Tibetan women spanning three generations in rural Bon skor Community, delving into the realities of childbirth, menstruation, and silent struggles endured by women within a society shaped by poverty, tradition, and entrenched misogyny. </span><span lang="EN-US">As modernization and compulsory education reshape Tibetan womanhood, the stark contrast between home births and hospital deliveries and traditional menstrual and modern hygienic practices testify to the power of progress. Yet, for some, like A sgrol, whose tragic life epitomizes suffering and resistance, the weight of tradition remains unyielding. Her story, though extreme, serves as a powerful symbol of the silent resilience of women on the Tibetan Plateau. </span><span lang="EN-US">Beyond struggles of womanhood, </span><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor's </span><em><span lang="EN-US">Beneath the Surface</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> offers a rich tapestry of village life, documenting religious rituals, culinary traditions, and the transformative experience of international travel. From Qinghai's gray winters to Thailand's lush summers, the cultural shock of rural Tibetans encountering modern metropolises like Bangkok and Singapore is captured, revealing a journey resembling time travel between two worlds. </span><span lang="EN-US">Vivid illustrations and photographs further enhance this poignant, eye-opening account of change, endurance, and the evolving identity of Tibetan women in a rapidly shifting world. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Gengqiu Gelai, Konchok Gelek, </span><span lang="EN-US">Dkon mchog dge legs </span><span lang="BO">དཀོན་མཆོག་དགེ་ལེགས།</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Rdo rje dpal 'byor, a </span><span lang="EN-US">Tibetan scholar from Guinan County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China, has lifted a veil to the world by revealing personal experiences of local Tibetan women's menstruation, menstrual cramps, childbirth, and menopause before 2000. These women believed menstruation was a shameful, insulting thing. Tibetan women weren't allowed to go to monasteries, family shrines, and mountaintops to worship <em>lab rtse</em> during menstruation because </span><span lang="EN-US">t</span><span lang="EN-US">hey considered it polluting and feared angering Buddhas and deities, which might bring disaster. In that era, the lack of sanitary pads and underwear compared with women today caused inconvenience and pain during menstrual periods. </span><span lang="EN-US">The author also describes several local Tibetan herders' experiences touring Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. They set out from an icy Qinghai-Tibet Plateau winter and arrived where seasons were like spring, oceans were boundless, tall buildings lined the cities, and people of various skin colors spoke diverse languages and ate different food. They better understood foreign cultures fundamentally different from their home community, a starting point in hoping more Tibetan herders will experience global travel. </span><span lang="EN-US">The author's major project is about the lives of Tibetan women, especially their menstrual culture, which has rarely been written about or published by Tibetan women. -- </span><span lang="EN-US">Limusishiden (Li Dechun</span><span lang="ZH-CN">李得春</span><span lang="EN-US">)</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> |
| title | AHP 66: BENEATH THE SURFACE: SILENCE, STRENGTH, AND TIBETAN WOMANHOOD ༄༅།།འཛུམ་དཀར་འོག་གི་སྐྱོ་ཤས། ཨ་མདོའི་བོད་རིགས་བུད་མེད་ཀྱི་འཚོ་བ་དང་མྱོང་བ། |
| topic | rural Tibetan women, Tibetan mensturation childbirth, Tibetan menopause, Tibetan short stories, Amdo Tibetan women, rural Amdo women, Amdo Tibetan ritual, Tibetan religious life. |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15479976 |